Monday, August 20, 2012

Top 10 Most Stolen Cars In The U.S.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released Hot Wheels −its
list of the 10 most-stolen vehicles in the United States. The report
examines vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National
Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model and model year most reported stolen in 2011.

Each year, NICB reviews all NCIC vehicle theft records to produce its national and state lists of the 10 most-stolen vehicles. Hot Wheels is the only report that examines all
theft data without regard to a vehicle’s insured status − if a vehicle
was reported stolen to law enforcement, it is captured in this report.

The top 10 places were evenly split in 2011 with five belonging to
foreign brands and five to U.S. automakers. Most popular models among
the domestic brands were Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet pickup trucks each
holding one spot with the Dodge Caravan and Ford Explorer rounding out
the domestic models.

Once again, 2011 is on track to continue the national vehicle theft decline. Preliminary 2011 FBI
crime statistics indicate a 3.3 percent reduction from the 737,142
thefts recorded in 2010. Vehicle thefts have not been this low since
1967.

“While overall thefts continue to decline, we are seeing a trend
toward increases in the thefts of late model vehicles − ones that are
theoretically harder to steal due to sophisticated key code technology,”
said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle.

“Today’s vehicle thieves are typically professional criminals who
have figured out how to get the key code for a specific vehicle, have a
replacement key made, and steal the vehicle within a matter of days. We
are aware of nearly 300 thefts that took place in the first three months
of this year in which we believe replacement keys using illegally
obtained key codes were used to steal the vehicle. We are working
closely with our member companies, law enforcement, and the vehicle
manufacturers to track these illegal key code transactions and stop the
thefts or recover the stolen vehicles before they can be resold here or
shipped out of the country to be sold overseas.”

Even one theft is one too many if it happens to you. NICB urges motorists to follow its “layered approach” to auto theft prevention. By employing these simple, low-cost suggestions, people can make their vehicles less attractive to thieves.

NICB’s four layers of protection are:

Common Sense: Lock your car and take your keys. It’s
simple enough, but many thefts occur because owners make it easy for
thieves to steal their cars.

Warning Device: Having and using a visible or audible warning device is another item that can ensure that your car remains where you left it.

Immobilizing Device: Generally speaking, if your
vehicle can’t be started, it can’t be stolen. “Kill” switches, fuel
cut-offs and smart keys are among the devices that are extremely
effective.

Tracking Device: A tracking device emits a signal to
the police or to a monitoring station when the vehicle is stolen.
Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover
stolen vehicles. Some systems employ “telematics,” which combine GPS
and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If
the vehicle is moved, the system will alert the owner and the vehicle
can be tracked via computer.

SOURCE: National Insurance Crime Bureau

* This report reflects stolen vehicle data reported to NCIC
in 2011. No further filtering of information is conducted (i.e.,
determining the total number of a particular make and model currently
registered in the U.S. for comparison purposes). For purposes of this
report, full size pickups include half ton and larger capacity models
for all makes.